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Click to hear this sermon sermon20110109
Why did Jesus
choose to be baptized?
Overflowing Grace -- Isaiah 42: 1-9; Matthew 3: 13-17 - January
9,2011 - Cicero United Methodist
Church - Everett J. Bassett
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Why did Jesus
choose to be baptized? That is a question that Christian scholars have
debated over the centuries. In our scripture lesson for today, John the Baptist
asked the same
question. John, after all, had been preaching to people that they needed to be
baptized as an
act of repentance for their sins. But our faith tells us that Jesus was without
sin. So, Jesus
didn't need to be baptized. But he chose to be baptized. And that choice is
very explicit in
Matthew 3: 13. It doesn't say that Jesus happened to be passing by one day and
ran across
John baptizing people, and said, "What the heck. The water looks
good." It says, instead, that
Jesus made the trip from Galilee to Jordan
- my Bible atlas tells me that from Nazareth to
the
Jordan River is about a fifteen mile walk -for
the specific purpose of being baptized by John the
Baptist. Why? I think the reasons come out in the story itself; and while Jesus
is totally unique
- none of us is the Son of God the way He was - the elements of His baptism are
important
affirmations to all of us about what happens to us here at this baptismal font.
The first
affirmation is illustrated by a sign I saw once in a church parking lot. It
said, "Church Parking Only. Trespassers Will Be Baptized." I like
that. Other places you go, the sign says that if you break the rules you'll be
prosecuted (or at least towed away at your own expense). The church says that
you come here as a sinner in need of grace, and we baptize you; and, as our
baptism rite says, through baptism you are initiated into Christ's holy church
- you got a place in the parking lot. And that part about being towed at
owner's expense? No, baptism, says the rite, is "God's gift, offered without
price."
In Jesus'
day it seems likely that a practice had begun that new converts to the Jewish
faith went through a new ritual of baptism with water. John the Baptist seems
to have expanded
that practice dramatically, connecting it with repentance and social justice.
And when people
came to John in droves, Jesus, for his own reasons, said, "I'll be part of
that." And that makes
all of us followers of Jesus part of it. And so Christian parents know that
choosing a faith family
for their children is just as important as choosing health and safety bring
their children to this
baptism font; and adults who have never been baptized but have a new experience
of grace
come here; and we come here to remember our baptism as the initiation into this
family of
faith. Sometimes, out of necessity we move the baptism font off to the side;
but at least
symbolically it belongs right here, front and center, because it is through
this act that we are
members of each other, and we worship together, and pray for each other, and
reach out to
the world in love. This is why Jesus walked from Nazareth
to Galilee - to belong here with us.
The second
message is about the right attitude for baptism, and in Matthew 3, it's all
about humility. Jesus presenting himself before John was an act of humbling
himself, as he habitually did. When we set up baptism like this, with the
pitcher and the towel, I am often reminded of another act of great humility on
Jesus' part, his washing of the disciples' feet at the last Supper. And, of
course, we are always reminded of the Lord's greatest act of humility - His
death on the cross. The apostle Paul and others felt that so keenly that they
wrote of baptism as 'dying with Christ.' What else could we feel but deep
humility that the one who carried the cross for our salvation wants to stand in
the water beside us. John the Baptist said, "No, I shouldn't be here
baptizing you; you should be baptizing me." And while that is a unique
situation, the attitude is exactly the same. We know our shortcomings, and our
human failings. We know that Jesus paid a great price for this means of grace
and salvation for us. So we come humbly and in
contrition for our sins.
The next
part of Matthew's story is mysterious. When John protests that he is unworthy
to
baptize Jesus, the Lord's response is, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for
us in this way to fulfill
all righteousness." What in the world does that mean?
I worked
with a young guy once (back when I was a young guy), who was what I would call
a left-over hippie - he was born about ten years too late, but he was carrying
on the hippie
tradition. I really don't think he was stoned all the time; it was just part of
the persona he put
on to act stoned. It was like he spent all of his time watching The Big
Lebowski, if you've ever
seen that movie. And he had this expression, when someone struck him as very
pleasing, or
very true, he would say, "Righteous, Dude." That stuck out for me,
because other than a
singing duo in the '60s, I don't know that I've heard that word 'righteous'
used outside of
church. In church we say it all the time: "He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for His
name's sake." If you know that is familiar, and can't quite place it, it's
from the 23rd Psalm. But
what does that mean? It means that there is a right path for us to be on. And
we know how
easily we can get down the wrong paths; one of the wonderful
things that the Good Shepherd
of the 23rd Psalm does for us is lead us to the path of rightness.
And Jesus connected it with His
baptism - this is necessary "to fulfill all righteousness." This is
God making things right for us.
Even my wannabe hippie friend could appreciate that.
A Bible
scholar would remind us that there is a deeper meaning to that phrase
"fulfill all
righteousness." Whenever Matthew uses the word "fulfill" he's
talking about prophecy. So
when Jesus was baptized by John, he was fulfilling prophecies made by such as
Isaiah centuries
before. But even that holds a message for us - we don't come here by accident.
There is a
plan, a promise, for our lives that is fulfilled here at this baptism font. God
is waiting for us.
This puts things right; this puts us on the path. It celebrates our destiny.
What a gift.
And then,
the beautiful affirmations just flow out of Jesus' experience. When he came out
of the water, he saw the heavens opened, as if now the glory of God would shine
forth in His life. And we can get into places where we feel like God is
invisible, and the heavens are closed to us. But this baptismal font can remind
us that if we keep looking, God's glory will be all around us.
Then it
says that Jesus saw the Spirit descending like a dove; and this font can be a
reminder that we don't live this life without power and love. God's Spirit has
descended upon us, and brought healing and grace and power to face the
challenges of life.
Then it
says that Jesus heard a voice, declaring, "This is my Son, my beloved, in
whom I am well pleased." And there is a lot in this world that convinces
us that we are not lovable, or
welcomed. You can be driving down the highway, and someone will give you a look
or a
horn blast as if to say, It You don't belong here." Or you can be
overlooked by a colleague, or
turned down for a promotion, or dismissed for a text message, and get this
feeling like you are
a trespasser, and not worth the time, or lost in the crowd.
Don't
believe it for a minute. You are a beloved child of God - pleasing in God's
sight.
Created in God's very image because God wanted someone just
like you in this world. As
someone said it, "If God has a refrigerator, your picture is on it."
And this is one of the
wonderful affirmations represented in the baptism story of Jesus. What a
beautiful gift.
It's a shame, really, that so
much controversy has arisen around baptism - what the proper
way of doing it? Who is eligible? And so on. God gave us this gift to unite us
and welcome us,
and yet whole churches have divided over it.
Someone
gave me the story about the Methodist and Baptist who were arguing over
baptism, and the Baptist was saying that only those who had been totally in the
water were
truly baptized. So the Methodist said, 'Let me get this straight. You're saying
that if someone
goes in the water up to their knees, they are not really baptized.' 'That's
right,' said the Baptist.
'And if they only go in the water up to their waist, they're not really
baptized.' 'That's right.'
'And if they only go up to their neck, they're not really baptized: 'Right!'
'It's only when the
water is over their head, that they are baptized: 'That's right/said the
Baptist. 'Well there you
have it,' said the Methodist. 'In the Methodist church, we skip all those
unnecessary parts, and
go straight for the head!'
In truth,
we celebrate baptism in different ways - by sprinkling, by pouring, or by total
immersion. And all three of them have meaning (I am available for total
immersion baptism
any time between the dates of June 15 and September 15. Maybe Jack will cover
the rest of
the year.)
But the
point is, the form of baptism is just a symbol, a reminder. Arguing over how
it's done is like arguing over whether we use white or wheat bread for
Communion, or whether your
wedding ring is made out of gold or yarn. It's what it represents that matters;
and baptism is
the sign of an overflowing grace that surrounds our lives.
Martin
Luther was the founder of the Protestant movement, and he was roughly attacked
for it. In addition to that, he seems to have been prone to
bouts of deep psychological
depression. So he came to the point when if he was attacked, or depressed, he
would say to
himself, again and again, 'I have been baptized.' And that's not a bad
strategy, when life seems
to narrow in on you, and you feel discouraged or without hope, depressed or
beaten down. Say
to yourself, 'I am a baptized child of God. I belong to a family of faith. I
humbly stand beside
Jesus in the water. I have been chosen for a righteous path. The heavens have
opened, and
God's glory is at work around me. The Spirit of God has come upon me, and given
me power
and healing and grace. And I am beloved by my God, claimed as his child.' These
are the great
affirmations that follow us through life. This font can be a reminder of those
things. You are
not alone or forgotten in this life. You are God's beloved, surrounded by
overflowing grace.
Remember
your baptism and be thankful.
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